JACKSONVILLE, FL - After wrapping up a tumultuous year for the industry, the National Bulk Vendors Association elected a new slate of officers at its annual meeting held here during its 55th annual convention and trade show.`

Dan Case of Tejas Distributors, headquartered in Round Rock, TX, was elected president, heading up a new leadership team that includes Peter Becker, What's Up, as vice-president; Steve Siegel, The Great American Vending Machine Co. (Hauppauge, NY), as treasurer; and Randy Chilton of Louisville, CO-based Sugarloaf Creations (now owned by Coinstar), as secretary.

According to Case, one of his primary goals as NBVA president will be to continue to build membership from all segments of the industry, encompassing both large and small operators. "That's the goal of any association, because you're only as strong as your members," said Case. "So we're going to be as aggressive as possible in bringing new members in, and hoping that the current members we now have will reach out and, like many others have done through the years, bring in some new people and really educate them on the business and how we can make them more successful. We're for the large operators, medium-sized, small vendors. We're for all vendors, with particular emphasis on helping the smaller vendors become more successful."

Another goal, said Case, is to continue to add value to NBVA membership. Examples of such include the success of past conventions that have featured expanded workshop schedules and, more recently, a renewed communications program that will offer members an expanded newsletter.

"Right now we're working with a renewed effort to communicate to the membership what we're really about," Case commented. "We intend to let them know all of the training and educational materials we can provide to them to make their businesses even more successful. We are an all inclusive association, meaning we accept all potential members that would want to join."

Case entered the bulk vending field in 1991, forming Tejas Distributors with four bulk vending machines and operating part-time out of his garage. Within four years he had built up a respectable, though small route that included 200 to 300 machines before deciding to take the plunge and enter the field full-time in 1995.

"That's when I decided to go full-throttle with the business and hired my first employee," said Case. "And over the next decade we put out thousands of machines.

"Today we cover six states, including all of Texas and Louisiana, along with the four surrounding states, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi," Case continued. "We operate primarily bulk vending machines, but we also have approximately 800 other machines such as video games, plush cranes, kiddie rides and the like."